Gettysburg College’s new communication studies major and minor enable students to develop enduring skills they’ll need to thrive in their careers and graduate studies.
Why major or minor in communication studies at Gettysburg College?
Our new communication studies program deepens your understanding of the power of storytelling and explores the relationship between communication and society. By majoring or minoring in communication studies at Gettysburg, you’ll have opportunities to blend coursework with hands-on experience in writing, public speaking, digital content creation, and interpersonal communication through internships and student-run organizations—all while developing the must-have skills that employers and graduate schools look for in college graduates.
Our alums working in communications-related roles across various industries shared their thoughts on how enduring skills gained at Gettysburg have supported their career growth and success.
Adaptability
Laura Habecker ’13, a history major and Spanish minor at Gettysburg, understands the importance of adaptability in the film and television industry.
As the post-production supervisor for the Amazon Emmy Award-winning series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Habecker continually communicated with her co-workers on real-time changes in the program’s production.
“We have eight to nine episodes, and each episode is in a different stage of production and post-production, so you have to be ready to adapt to what’s happening that day,” she said. “That’s one thing that Gettysburg College really taught me is adaptability, and it has definitely played a huge part in my job and my everyday life.”
Watch this video: Laura Habecker ’13 on adaptability
Communication
Through theatre arts, Britney Brunache ’22 discovered that communication is “a craft and a connection.” At Gettysburg, the theatre arts and psychology double major served as secretary for the Owl & Nightingale Players, Gettysburg’s student-run theatre organization, and campus ambassador for Teach for America. She also wrote, directed, and acted in campus theatrical productions.
“Through performance, directing, and collaboration, I learned how to listen actively, convey ideas clearly, and adapt my message to different audiences,” she said. “Those same skills are central to my work as a high school English teacher today—whether I’m guiding students through a complex text, leading classroom discussions, or fostering confidence in their own voices. Gettysburg helped me see communication not just as a skill, but as a tool for empathy and understanding.”
Creativity
Each time that King David (David Rampersad Jr. ’17) applies brush to canvas, he opens his mind to the possibilities to come. For David, who majored in studio art, each painting he creates communicates a conversation. Since graduating from Gettysburg, David has used the medium of abstract art to explore his voice and to showcase an expressive style that merges Caribbean cultural history and personal identity. His works are exhibited at Welancora Gallery in Brooklyn.
David attributes his creativity to the guidance he received from his Gettysburg faculty mentors. “The faculty help train us as artists, and to be able to value and appreciate the creative process of what we’re doing and what we create is what’s so valuable to me,” he said.
Watch this video: What I learned from studying art in college
Intercultural Fluency
Joe Kirkenir ’14 is the development director at the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia.
Kirkenir leverages intercultural fluency as a nonprofit fundraising and marketing professional. In a typical day, he may interview a program participant for a story, share content with colleagues for developing marketing assets, tell a story to donors to inspire contributions, and work with vendors on communications campaigns.
“My time at Gettysburg prepared me for this work by exposing me to diverse cultures every day, whether intentionally through books written by diverse authors as part of my English degree or unintentionally through interactions with a diverse student body and faculty as part of my time volunteering with and working for the Center for Public Service, and social and service activities with Sigma Alpha Epsilon,” Kirkenir said.
Leadership
Cameron Jury ’23, a double major in international global studies and women, gender, and sexuality studies and minor in peace and justice studies, embraced leadership at Gettysburg. During her senior year, she served as the lead intern in Gettysburg College’s Office of Communications and Marketing.
Today, Jury applies this leadership experience to her role as outreach manager at Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership in Rockland, Maine.
“My time serving as the lead intern helped me further learn what is important as a leader professionally, whether that be open and honest communication, kindness and understanding of others, and organizational skills,” she said.
Problem Solving
For brand strategist Ryan Bonner ’14, founder of Ryan Bonner Brands LLC, the challenge of helping businesses stand out from competitors is an exercise in problem solving.
Bonner, who majored in English with a writing concentration at Gettysburg, believes his coursework “sharpened my ability to communicate complex and nuanced topics in clear, tight language,” he said. “Years later, applying Derrida’s theory of deconstruction to postmodern American literature now feels like the practice I needed to be able to command language effectively, to be able to deliver a message with precision and clarity.
“Communication is itself problem solving,” he continued. “When you’re able to see things in clearer, more nuanced ways, you’re able to develop better messaging solutions that consider the problem in a clearer context.”
Teamwork
Laken Franchetti ’24 had hands-on experience with student media at Gettysburg. She was the editor-in-chief of The Gettysburgian and nonfiction genre head editor for The Mercury literary magazine.
Franchetti, who majored in English with a writing concentration and minored in history, also served as lead intern for Gettysburg College’s Office of Communications and Marketing.
Today, Franchetti applies her experience in teamwork in communications to her role as a management and program analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice.
“If my time in the Communications and Marketing Office could be summarized in one word, it would be collaborative,” she said. “As a team, you can recognize what may not have worked well in the past, learn from it, and develop a better plan moving forward. I have had the opportunity to apply that mentality to my current position when I tackle new problems or projects with my team.”
Visit Gettysburg College to learn more about our new communication studies program.
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By Michael Vyskocil
Main photo by Matthew Musser; all additional photos supplied unless otherwise noted
Posted: 10/15/25